For Love Of Freedom
by Reibunbun
Summary: When Kil is sold to the imperial prince of Reim, she only expects her life as a slave to worsen, and in many ways it does. What she didn't expect however, was to find deliverance and peace from a Fanalis, Kaz, who will soon become a prince in his own right. Though in time she will learn what it means to be free. ((Kaz belongs to @lagoonu 3 ))
1. Chapter 1

She was just a slave. For as long as she remembered, Kil was trade and sold around like any common household object. She had no voice, no rights, and no way to better her situation but crossing her fingers and hoping obedience would gain her a bit of mercy.

Her current master was the imperial prince of the Reim empire, Nerva Julius Caluades, though she rarely interacted with him. She was just there to do what she was told and not piss anyone off so they wouldn't kill or torture her, simple as that.

Imagine her frustration then, when someone came to say hi. To a slave forbidden to speak. For no reason.

She was hanging laundry out on a line when it happened, the strangest thing. A fanalis popped out from amidst a tree he was hanging on, staring out at her with a playful grin. "Hello."

Kil nearly jumped out of her skin, staring a moment in shock, before returning to her work silently. She wasn't allowed to talk much, or really at all, anyway but especially not to a Fanalis so she stayed silent.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He apologized. "My name's Kaz, what's your name?"

She didn't answer, just continued working as quickly as she dared so she could get back to her other chores and avoid being punished for interacting with one of the Fanalis her master despised so much.

"Hey miss! Can you hear me?!" He asked loudly.

Kil nearly dropped the robe she was holding, catching it at the last moment before it fell off the balcony in which she stood. "Be quiet." she hissed, scowling up at him. "Do you want to get me killed?!"

"Get you what?" Kaz frowned. "What's wrong with talking? Are you sick or something?"

Kil gave an exasperated sigh, albeit a quiet one, and held up her hands so he could see the gold chains shackled onto her wrists.

He frowned. "Oh...you're a slave…" He was silent a moment, before speaking up, softer this time. "I'm sorry for bothering you…"

"Whatever just...please go away." She commanded quietly.

"Okay." He answered with a nod.

"Blue you're taking too long! Do you want to get punished?!" A fellow slave hissed as she passed by the balcony.

Kil went faster then, frantically attaching the rest of the clothes to the line and praying she wouldn't drop any of them. She did.

As three articles of clothing slipped out of her hands and started floating lazily towards the ground her heart plummeted along with any hope of avoiding a beating that week.

To her surprise, Kaz snaked through the tree and grabbed all three of them, quickly handing them back to her.

"So your name is blue?"

Kil didn't answer, just took the clothes back and hung them up. Still she owed him. "Thank you." she whispered before turning away.

"It was nice meeting you, Blue...I'll find a way to save you…"

Ignoring the idle promise, Kil went back inside and returned to work, however she was stuck thinking of him all day.


	2. Chapter 2

When she next met Kaz it was at the bazaar nearby the palace. She'd been ordered to pick up some things and was determined to do the job quick and uninterrupted.

When she saw Kaz her hopes of such a notion were dashed away. She spotted him immediately, although he had a scarf around his head, perhaps to avoid anyone noticing him. Racism was still prevalent even with members of the Fanalis corps wasn't it??

The moment he saw her, he grinned, waving widely. "Bluuuue! Heeeeey!"

Kil groaned and passed by him without a word, going to purchase the items on her list and leave.

Kaz pouted and followed her. "Can you still not talk? I don't see any masters here...so you should be able to right?"

Kil didn't respond. Who cared whether her master was there or not? A rule was a rule and she was still a slave.

"Did I do something wrong? Why are you ignoring me?" He asked curiously, taking a few large strides so he could turn and face her. "Blue?"

"My name's not Blue." She muttered indignantly.

"It's not? But that other lady—"

"They just call me that because of my hair. I'm not allowed to use my real name."

"Ohhh.ok." Kaz nodded then. "So what's your real name?"

Kil stared a moment incredulously. "I just told you I'm not allowed to use my real name."

"Oh right. Nevermind then. What would you like me to call you?"

"I don't. I just want you to leave me alone." Kil snapped as she purchased the last thing on the list, the merchant eyeing her suspiciously until she showed him her master's permission slip.

Kaz paused a moment to think then. "In that case I'll have to call you bitter." He mused.

Kil pouted a moment though in truth it was one of the better things people called her. "I'm not bitter." she muttered. "You're just...how do I put this respectfully...very annoying and painfully naive."

"What do you mean naive?" He questioned.

Kil just shrugged. "If you weren't you certainly wouldn't be talking to me."

Kaz's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How does talking to you make me naive?"

"Because you're a Fanalis and I'm just some random slave that serves the guy that hates Fanalis. If my master had his way you would be nothing but a slave, why then would you even want to associate with me?"

Kaz paused a moment as he tried to process her point here, but drew a blank. "So what does Nerva have to do with me talking to you again?"

Kil gave an exasperated sigh. "As a slave I'm just an extension of my owner, in this case master Nerva. Any association to me is therefore an association with him since I'll follow my master's opinions and interests before my own…ergo I must see you as a nuisance and act accordingly."

Kaz just frowned. "Yeah no that makes no sense. Just because you're Nerva's slave doesn't mean you can't think for yourself...well I mean...just don't do it around him and you'll be fine. Bitt, you gotta keep your own opinions or you'll go crazy ya'know?"

"Don't call me Bitt." she retorted, although she could already tell the nickname had stuck. Damn it. "And slaves can't have their own opinions, we're just objects."

"Hey that's not true!" He exclaimed. "Anyone who says that is a jerk and lying to you. Come on, you gotta have opinions of your own, everyone does slave or not."

"Would you look at that…" Kil exclaimed softly, pointing to the palace before them. "We appear to have arrived back at my master's domain...ergo I must stop talking and you ought not seen conversing with me unless you want to get me killed."

Kaz sighed. "Yeah sure whatever Bitt, be delusional all you want we both know you're opinionated and bossy." Kaz waved her off before walking away.


	3. Chapter 3

The next time Kil net Kaz was likely to be the death of her. For whatever reason Nerva had selected her to accompany him throughout the day. Now that he'd taken notice of her and her leadership and organizational skills she would likely be assigned to him personally. Sure, that sounded like a kind of promotion but Nerva was cruel and overly demanding and she dreaded every moment spent serving this idiot when she was capable of so many better things.

They were walking down the hall of the palace, Kil a few paces behind and on a leash, when they walked right into Kaz.

Kaz straightened from where he had fallen back and grinned cheekily. "Heya there Nerva, how are you?"

Nerva huffed, ignoring him and walking by. "Is this what Reim has come to?" He muttered, loudly. "A free Fanalis...that's a disgrace to Reim's history and the royal family."

Not letting it faze him, Kaz grinned and waved at them as they passed.

Kil was a little bit jealous, she'd love to be able to just wave Nerva's entitled whining away.

"If you ever speak to a Fanalis I'll have you executed." Nerva snapped at her.

She noticed Kaz, who was still in earshot had his fists clenched, but ignored that fact, bowing her head respectfully. "Of course, my master. I'd have it no other way."

She said this but she knew she was lying.


	4. Chapter 4

Kaz had taken the wrong turn, okay multiple wrong turns. He was technically in Nerva's wing of the palace, but this was just where the slaves stayed so it wasn't a problem really. Most of Nerva's slaves liked Kaz, because he did his best to help them without Nerva taking notice, and because he didn't treat them so shabbily.

When he heard muffled sobs coming from a nearby room, hardly the size of a closet and with no furnishings as most of the slaves had access to, he frowned and gently pulled it open to peek inside.

There she was again, the poor girl that had been so bitter before. She laid face down on the floor, sobbing into her hands. Her back was still covered in blood from what looked like whip slashes, though there was a small vase of water and some cloth and bandages obviously meant for the wound.

"Bitt….are you okay?"

She looked up at him bitterly, staring at him in a blank look of pure misery. "Do I look okay?" She asked haughtily.

Kaz sighed and knelt down next to her. "What happened? Why did they do this to you…you're the obedient one, aren't you?"

She sighed. "That hardly matters when the master is in one of his moods."

Kaz frowned, but he knew how irrational Nerva could be. "What was he even upset about?"

She shook her head. "I was helping one of the other slaves, a little boy, and I guess he didn't like that or maybe I didn't get back to my own work fast enough. I don't know. "

"That bastard." Kaz cursed. "Nevermind that now though...let's get your wounds patched up."

Nodding, she tried to pull herself up only to groan and fall to the floor again.

"Aah just...stay there it's okay…" he reassured her before retrieving the basin and cloth and gently dabbing at her wounds to clean them.

"Um...if you don't mind me asking how long have you been a slave?"

"Ten years starting in June." She said softly.

"That's a lot...I um...I used to be a slave too, before Muu rescued me. I know how bad it is...and um...if I ever get the chance I'll rescue you too...and until then I'm here for you as much as I can be."

"I...I don't understand you." She whispered quietly. "Why do you care so much about me when I've only ever been unkind to you? What do you stand to gain from helping me?"

Kaz just shrugged as he finished cleaning off the blood and began to bandage her wounds. "I dunno. I just do. You're being treated unfairly and so I want to help you...it's just what I do."

"I...I don't really get it." She said. "But thank you."

Smiling softly he finished bandaging her wounds before he helped he up and hugged her gently.

She blinked in surprise a moment, and then she melted. She practically went limp as she curled up in his embrace and cried softly into his chest.

Sighing, he sat down and held her, stroking her hair absently. "It's okay...just...take deep breaths. I'm here."

Nodding, she cuddled him and for once didn't fight back the tears. She cried and relaxed and for the first time since she could remember in her entire life, she felt peace.


End file.
